Thursday, May 14, 2015

Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now in China. Mr Modi arrived in China early this morning on a three-day visit. His first
stop is the ancient city of Xian, also the hometown of President Xi Jinping. PM Modi's arrival in Xian is significant and
a departure from protocol by the Chinese government. It is being seen as a sign
of the importance China is attaching to this visit and a reciprocal gesture
after President Xi was hosted by the Indian Prime Minister in his home state of
Gujarat last year.

President Xi
Jinping has praised China's warming ties
with India during a meeting Thursday between the leaders of Asia's rising
powers and rivals, which included a rare touch of personal diplomacy for a
Chinese leader. Xi met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a sprawling
government guest house in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, from which
the president's family hails. The
exchanges highlight warming ties between the two powers — the world's most
populous nations with a combined 2.6 billion people — despite their continuing
rivalry and contrasting political systems. That trend has gained momentum by
the personal authority enjoyed by the two men, who are widely seen as their
countries' strongest leaders in years.

6
decades ago, in Oct 1954, India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited
China,
which was described as the first visit
by a non-communist head of state since the creation of the People’s Republic of
China. “The six miles between city and airport were walled by unbroken banks of
humanity, clapping, cheering and crying the inescapable Chinese slogan, ‘Long
live peace’,” NY Times had reported. Nehru met chairman Mao Zedong, held talks with
the first Chinese premier, Zhou EnLai, and visited Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing
and Guangzhou (Canton). He was accompanied by his daughter, and later also
prime minister of India, Indira Gandhi.

When Chinese prime
minister Li Peng visited New Delhi in 1991, it was a momentous occasion for the
two gigantic, mostly rural, developing countries. Both were adrift and
isolated—India struggling in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse, and
China facing criticism of its human rights record. From then on, China has developed into a manufacturing and
export-led powerhouse that is slated to become the world’s largest economy. India, at the same time, became a global
outsourcing hotspot, although the benefits of that relatively small industry’s
growth have had a much smaller long-term impact, and China’s economy has left
India’s far behind.

Ulan
Bator doesn’t usually figure on the itinerary of most world leaders, but Mr Modi—after visiting China, is visiting
this place, which has never been visited by an Indian Prime Minister, which is
seen as a subtle message for China. “China has been very active in India’s
periphery and India is also looking to play on their periphery. India and
Mongolia have also had very friendly relations. Modi will want to convey the
message that India has an all-encompassing foreign policy.”

Geographically,
Mongolia is at the crossroads of the Far East and North Asia, and China has
always been a critically important neighbour.
Mongolia had supported India
during the Bangladesh Liberation war in 1971 and is also a supporter for India’s
permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council. The trade of China with Mongolia is high as
it accounts for 90% of Mongolian exports, while imports are dominated by China,
Russia, South Korea and Japan. Despite that, significant opportunities for
India remain. Mongolia, for instance, has massive reserves of uranium, coal,
copper and gold.

The relationship
between India and modern-day Mongolia was formalised by an Indo-Mongol
communique, issued on 24 December 1955. In the process, India became the first
country outside the Soviet bloc to establish relations with Mongolia (then
called the Mongolian People’s Republic). The first high-profile visit by a leader from
either side was undertaken by India’s former president S. Radhakrishnan (then
vice-president) in 1957. Mr Modi will be
in Mongolia on May 17, for the first visit by an Indian prime minister. He will
present a sapling of the Bodhi tree to the chief abbot of the Gandan Monastery
in Ulan Bator. He will then meet Mongolian Prime Minister Chimed Saikhanbileg
for talks during which several agreements are set to be inked. In a special
gesture, the Mongolian parliament will be opened on a holiday (Sunday) for the
first time to allow Modi to address lawmakers in Ulan Bator.

Mongolia is marking
its 25th anniversary of becoming a democracy and Buddhism is a major point of
linkage. Mr Modi then heads to South Korea on May 18 and after his arrival will
lay a wreath at the Seoul National Cemetery.

Mongolia
is a landlocked country in east-central Asia, bordered by Russia and China. Ulaanbaatar is its capital and also the
largest city. The area of what is now
Mongolia has been ruled by various nomadic empires. In 1206, Genghis Khan founded the Mongol
Empire, and his grandson Kublai Khan conquered China to establish the Yuan
Dynasty.